While about half of the members of the Ohio State football team were going through a strenuous workout in the weight room yesterday, workers a couple of doors away were trying rapidly to complete the $2.5 million renovation of the training area and locker room.

The goal was to have the locker room mostly completed and cleaned by 8 this morning. The Dayton-based Cronin family, a prime contributor to the project, is due for the first official look later today.

The distinctive water wall, which separates the locker room from the training and therapy areas, was operating. Big-screen TVs were all turned on. And new lockers, with a metallic-and-black padded look replacing the old oak motif, appeared to be in the final stage of completion.

Included in the locker count of 125 is a wall of about 15 or 20 that will be dedicated to Buckeyes currently playing pro football who might want to use the facility during their offseason.

As for a move-in date for the team, it has been promised that the players will be able to transition back from their temporary quarters at the far west end of the Woody Hayes Athletic Center before the start of preseason camp Aug. 3.

Coach Gregg Berhalter’s system requires everyone to play defense, which a source indicated was the real reason that midfielder Alvaro Rey left the Crew after only three weeks to play for a second-division club in his hometown in Spain: He wasn’t happy about being required to contribute defensively.

So as the Crew scours the world for players who can help the team on offense, Berhalter will probably flesh out any prospective attacker’s feelings about defense. When the Crew acquired Rey from Toronto FC on June 6 for Dominic Oduro, who led Columbus in goals last season but didn’t fit in Berhalter’s system, he was hailed as the perfect fit.

“We’re getting a guy that we feel has potential,” Berhalter said at the time. “He’s a young player. He’s 24, and he’s very secure on the ball. He’s good (one-on-one), and we see there’s a potential for him to fit into our system nicely.”

Not all offensive-minded players are that enamored of defense, of course, which seems to have been the case with Rey.

Former Ohio State star Ryan Shazier is making a strong impression so far in Pittsburgh Steelers training camp.

“He’s like a sponge right now,” inside linebacker Lawrence Timmons told ESPN.com. “The coaches tell him, ‘Don’t say much at all. Just try and soak everything up right now.’ It’s going to be tough on him, but he’s the type of athlete who can do it. He’s willing and able to do whatever it takes.”

Shazier started next to Timmons at the beginning of practice and apparently has performed like the first-round draft pick he was. Pittsburgh’s defense slipped noticeably last season, and Shazier’s speed and playmaking ability are sorely needed.

“He understands concepts very well,” linebackers coach Keith Butler said. “He reminds me a lot of Larry Foote in terms of football intelligence, and he’s a very sharp guy.”

At $220.26, Ohio State will have the third-highest average ticket price on the secondary market, according to figures compiled by TiqIQ. Notre Dame leads the top 25 list, reported by Forbes.com, at $252.25, and Georgia ($236.72) is second. Five other Big Ten teams made the list: Iowa (11th), Penn State (13th), Nebraska (15th), Minnesota (19th) and Michigan State (23rd).

Cincinnati Bengals president Mike Brown talked about a possible Andy Dalton contract extension this week, but coach Marvin Lewis said that he’s finished talking about it.

Brown noted that “there’s some things we like” in the extension signed by San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick — Dalton was the 36th pick in the 2011 draft, and Kaepernick was No. 37. Kaepernick’s deal could bring him an annual salary in the $19 million range through 2020, but a big chunk of that is performance-based, which probably is what Brown likes.

“Kaepernick’s a good player. He’s been successful,” Brown said. “We tend to think our deal (with Dalton) should be something in that range, not way beyond it.”

Without the extension, Dalton is set to make nearly $1.7 million this year.

But when Lewis was asked, he said, “We’re not going to talk about it anymore, thank you.”

The “Purple Pricing” strategy that Northwestern used to sell tickets to its home game with Ohio State last season was so successful, it is selling tickets to this season’s Nebraska (Oct. 18) and Michigan (Nov. 8) games using the same method.

Prices for the tickets start at an above-face-value premium and gradually come down based on secondary-market demand until all the tickets sell out or game day arrives. Then, rebates are sent to anyone who paid more than the final price.

The school is letting fans bid for a week to gauge what people are willing to pay before setting that premium price, which will be posted on Thursday.

Last season, school officials said they collected 162 percent more than face value of the tickets sold for its game against Ohio State. Fans bought the allotment of nearly 2,000 sideline seats for $195 apiece, nearly triple the previous face value of $70.